Buffet, S1, B Flat Clarinet
A fine condition Buffet S1 Bb clarinet in Silver plate. When the American investor Martin Tolchin bought Buffet Crampon in the mid 1970's he felt that though the R13 sold well in the USA different models would be more successful in Europe. The S1, Continentale and BC20, were all attempts to make darker, more focused sounding clarinets. In the case of the S1 this is partly achieved by much less undercutting.
This clarinet has matching serial nos. F162275, which dates to late 1975, and this period is commonly referred to as the "Golden Era" of Buffet manufacture. The instrument has Silver plate in good condition, with only wear to the RH ring fingers and LH2. The clarinet features a LH Ab/Eb lever making the specification equivalent to a modern Buffet Prestige. The clarinet has just been down to our workshop it has had a complete re-pad in finest Pisoni fish skin pads, and is sold with our full 1 year warranty. The wood condition overall is good, but there is an old repaired, pinned crack to the upper joint in the area of the top trill key hole. There are 2 pins but the crack is not visible on the surface, and neither does it go through to the bore. The S1 clarinet plays with a robust, focused sound and excellent evenness and intonation. In the past players such as John McCaw and Mitchell Lurie played S1's. The Buffet case shows interior and exterior wear, but is fully functional. The mouthpiece is an ebonite Buffet C in good condition.